The Painted Light of Transformation: An art film's naked rebirth

What change is happening in our own lives?

If we heard the story of the caterpillar and the butterfly, but never saw it for ourselves, would we believe it was true?  The spectacle of a crawling creature changing into a beautiful one that flies is an incredible one.  We might think it’s a fairy tale unless we could observe it with our own eyes. Some may conclude that change in our lives on such a grand scale is also a fantasy because we can’t see it happening. One of my recent short films explores the metamorphosis of endings and new beginnings.

Painted Light was made so the viewer could interpret it on several levels.  (You can watch the film by clicking on the link here and then enable full screen and HD viewing).  When the film begins with a caterpillar and the sound of a heart monitor flat lining, one immediately thinks of death.  The scenes of high contrast light, a butterfly and sounds of children playing can lead you to conclude that this represents the afterlife. While there are so many traditions that discuss what happens (or doesn’t happen) to us after death, it may be of more value to talk about the transformations that occur while we are still alive. People have the capacity to drastically transform their lives for the better. Many of us know someone trapped in a cycle of addiction that was able to positively turn their life around. Others reinvent themselves via a new career path, or find renewed hope in mentoring a younger generation.

Screen shot from the film

A personal example of transformation in my own life has been the power of forgiveness. The pain caused by others, particularly those close to us, can ensnare us into a web of suffering that is hard to let go.  I have found that forgiving others has allowed me to move on with my life in a positive direction. Forgiveness affirms the best part of ourselves and transforms pain into the hope of a new beginning. The male nude emergence scene in the film reminds me of this process.

Our lives can change in dramatic ways. If we think we are stuck, that we can’t move forward in dynamic ways, then our lives become a fairy tale: not the one where everyone lives happily ever after, but rather the one where the narrative’s dark origins never see the light of day. We can all agree that there is no perfect life. There’s just life. Are we getting on with ours?

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